BrahMos second assembly line will be ready in 3 years

Thiruvananthapuram: With the takeover of the State-owned Kerala Hitech Industries Ltd (Keltec) by BrahMos Aerospace on Monday, Thiruvananthapuram will become the site of BrahMos Aerospace’s second missile integration complex.

The city-based Keltec, which will be renamed BrahMos Aerospace Thiruvananthapuram Ltd from January 1, will assemble Brahmos missiles and will also manufacture some of the components that go into the missile, said Dr A. Sivathanu Pillai, Managing Director and CEO, BrahMos Aerospace.

BrahMos Aerospace Thiruvananthapuram will continue to manufacture various components for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). In fact, the company is expected to start manufacturing more products for ISRO, he added.

According to Dr Pillai, the Brahmos assembly line at the company’s Thiruvananthapuram campus will be ready within three years. The facility may also be used to assemble other missiles, such as the Brahmos 2, that the company will manufacture in the future. Development of the hypersonic Brahmos 2 is likely to be completed in about five years, he added.

Investment in the first phase of upgrading the infrastructure of BrahMos Thiruvananthapuram is expected to be Rs 125 crore, he said. The company will recruit more engineers, scientists and skilled workers for its operations in Thiruvananthapuram, Dr Pillai added.

Export demand

Brahmos missile system has already been inducted into the Indian navy and army. The air force version of the missile is currently under development and there is also an export market for the missile, he pointed out.